“Modern research in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can help jump-start athletic performance, rejuvenate internal organs, halt snoring, allergies, asthma, and some autoimmune disease, and even straighten spines. …None of this should be possible, and yet it is.” ~ James Nestor
By Catherine Austin Fitts
I had a business call last week with an advisor who had been referred to me by a colleague. I joined a video call and got a view of a person who radiates health and energy.
He immediately let me know that he also practiced the Wim Hof Method—he had seen that Wim had been named Solari Hero of the Year for 2021. One of the fascinating things about doing the Wim Hof Method is that you quickly plug into one of the most amazing networks of people I have yet discovered.
My contact then explained that he had suffered for many years from sleep apnea and had to sleep with a CPAP machine. He said all that changed when he read James Nestor’s book Breath. Putting into practice what he learned from the book, my contact cured his sleep apnea and taught himself how to breathe properly. Given his energy and intelligence, I decided I needed to move Breath—purchased last year—up to the top of my “to read” pile.
After suffering from numerous chronic health problems, James Nestor, too, tried breathing exercises. With some remarkable results, he decided to learn everything he could about the science, history, and art of breathing. The book is the result of a decade of him exploring everything we know about breath and what our experience tells us is the best way to breathe.
It turns out that mankind’s breathing practices have deteriorated. But it is possible for each of us to change that—we can teach ourselves to breathe better. If we do, good breathing habits have the potential to make an enormous difference to our health and outlook.
In a nutshell, Nestor concludes that there are several characteristics to the most successful breathing practices:
- Breathe through your nose.
- Breathe deeply and practice a long exhale.
- The ideal combination is a 5.5-second breath in, and a 5.5-second exhale out—doing that set 5.5 times per minute.
As Nestor comes to those conclusions, he includes a fascinating review of numerous methods and discoveries as well as some detailed tours of nasal passages that are not for the squeamish.
I will be adding this book to the Health category in Best Books for 2022 in our 2021 Annual Wrap Up.
If you want to be healthy and avoid the medical cartel in 2022, I recommend this book as an invaluable companion piece to The Wim Hof Method.
Read it, take a deep breath, with a long exhale, and smile as the pathway to vibrant health opens before you.
Author’s website is here.
Related Solari Report:
Special Solari Report: Cold Therapy and Breath – The Wim Hof Interview
Related Reading:
Just starting reading Breath…very good.
For those who like Wim Hof, check out https://oxygenadvantage.com/wim-hof/
The Oxygen Advantage, developed by the brilliant Russian Dr. Buteyko is very similar to the Wim Hof method, but also different – https://www.breathingcenter.com/Buteyko I’ve tried both methods, but I had to stop Dr. Buteyko’s method because I was losing too much weight.
Sounds like I should try it!
It’s amazing what one can learn from Solari.
I read, although I have not substantiated it, that breathing through the nose also makes you more attractive. When you breath through the nose the mouth is closed and the tongue presses against the roof of the mouth, keeping the teeth straight and the face muscles firm whereas when you breathe through the mouth the mouth is open and the jaw relaxes, causing the face muscles to become weak and the jaw to recede.
I read this book last year after one of Brigette’s guest recommended it. I have recommended it to several people since and it is changing their lives. BREATH, healing and free!
Excellent book. I’d also recommend Breathing for Warriors and Conscious Breathing
The nose is for Breathing (inhale/exhale) the mouth is for eating!
BREATH is LORD! Chapter 6; Amrtasiddhi Upanishad, 5th Century.
The next great frontier of human exploration is not outer space, but our inner space and the development of the human mind, breath is what your body was created to experience, a direct link between lower and higher experiences. The Himalayan meditation masters used breath practices to unravel coded messages that open the mind to the galaxies and beyond. Energetically breath practices are used to grow and refine cellular particles that oxygenate and repair the body by degree, breath practices saturates and feeds your cells with un-decaying light, holding them in a magnetized state. Through Kiryas (gut/microbiome-cleanses), SLOW BREATH POWERED movement (asana), and vibrational sound, we can reduce physical and mental impurities, yoke our intelligence and become harmonious beings. I have been teaching Breath centered practices for over 35yrs. I am happy to finally see some awareness around the use of pranic forces. Please remember when developing your breath NEVER strain, use it with care, cradle it as if you were holding a baby bird in your hands! You may see a breath powered Nath tradition practice by watching my art video http://www.BreaththePulseoftheUniverse.com or visiting my
site, http://www.PamJohnsonYoga.com Peace and Prana!
Catherine,
James Nestor is excellent. I heard him on a Russell Brand Podcast on Luminary. Under the Skin with Russell Brand.
Thanks for sharing your real world experience of seeing a person who greatly benefitted from better breathing!